The Little Birds of 11 and 12
by MoonshineMisty
Summary: She never wanted to be picked. She allied. She fought. She is an amazing girl with many secrets. Yes, this is the story of Primrose Everdeen in the Hunger Games. My first fanfic, I hope it is good! *Abandoned* :( But still read!
1. Chapter 1: Reaping, Interview, And Start

Prim's POV

I swallow nervously and wait for Effie Trinket to draw the name.

"Primrose Everdeen!" she says distinctly. I gasp.

"Primrose? Don't be shy now, dear, come up!" she smiles. I step up and see Katniss's horrified expression. But suddenly, Effie is calling "Peeta Mellark" and... Rory Hawthorne is taking his place. He's 13, one year older then me, but we are good friends.

"Rory, no," I whisper. He shakes his head at me sadly, so I just fiddle with my two blonde braids and attempt not to start crying. Armed Peacekeepers grab me and Rory's arms, and they drag us to the Justice Building.

Katniss is the first to appear.

"Prim! NO! WHAT HAVE I DONE! I SHOULD HAVE VOLUNTEERED!" she screams in her agonized way and makes that face, half-squinted eyes, crinkled chin, and slightly open mouth, which I completely hate and am angered.

"Katniss! I'm twelve, deal with it! I'm in the Games! Ya know what? I don't care!" She leaves the room sobbing. Next to come is Peeta. Wait- Peeta? He's 16! Without any words, he hugs me. I am shocked.

"What?" I say.

"Prim, you're only twelve, and I'm sixteen, but I... Er... Some things run deeper then age." It takes me a moment, but I realize what he's saying. He likes me. It's like a blow to the skull. But Rory was my friend, though... And...but...argh. Love is confusing.

*skip to the interviews*

I stood waiting with Rue Birdness, my District 11 ally. Ironically, we are dressed almost exactly alike, except in color. I wear a glossy, long black dress with black feathered wings that makes me look like a dark girl. My hair is tied back in one braid with a red tie. Rue is dressed in a sparkling blue gown, built like mine, with paler blue fairy-like wings. I guess Cinna and Zelda thought alike on this one.

"Glimmer Sparkiza!" A woman announces. A blonde, very pretty girl with red lipstick, lots of pink blush, blue eyeliner, a knee-high fluffy golden sparkling gown, and white flats, enters. It must be Glimmer, she is dazzling.

I step up , beaming, as Caesar calls for me.

"Well hello Prim!" he smiles kindly. The crowd claps politely.

"Hello, Caesar!" I reply brightly. This is what Haymitch organized for me. Humble. He had no problem!

"Well, what a pretty little costume! Spin for us, will you? Most tributes find that that is a good way to reveal the true outfit. I glance at Cinna. He shakes his head and mouths Not yet.

"Sorry. Stylist's orders, wait until the end!" I reply. The audience groans comically.

"Oh, well how do you think the Capitol is?"

"Wonderful! Oh, the people are so nice, and the food is delicious!" I lie. I hate the Capitol. At least I'm a good liar. Even Katniss thinks I hate hunting. I don't... I sneak out every night and say it is a present from Gale. We made a deal a while ago to conceal my secret; Katniss would be way too overly shocked, because I seem so girly-girl.

"We'd better hurry! So, Rory Hawthorne, I have a feeling he volunteered for you. Did he?" I swallow.

"Yes. I think he did." Then I raise my arms and begin to twirl. Flames engulf me and I gasp to find myself in an amber and gold replica of my black costume. An amber dress, now-golden wings, and shiny red flats.

"Ah! A little fire-bird!" Caesar smiles warmly as the bell rings. The crowd is beside themselves with tears for poor, innocent, young me, the pretty little girl from District 12 as I hop off the stage. Rue smiles at me and her chocolate-colored eyes widen as she whispers, "What a beautiful costume!" I lock my hand into hers and we sit, and watch Rory's interview.

"So, Rory. Primrose thought you volunteered for her. Is that true?" he asks. He gulps.

"It is, indeed. I...I couldn't let her die. Love...you all must have felt it." The crowd starts SCREAMING. I am in shock. Rory loves me! But, Peeta... I can almost feel his eyes welling up with tears. I bury my face in my hands and Rue hugs me comfortingly.

I pick up the bow and arrow nearest to me and aim it at a dummy. Letting it go, the arrow pierces it in the heart. I smile with pleasure and pick up a knife. It shoots right into the wall, sticking. The Gamemakers smile and applaud.

"You are dismissed, Primrose," Seneca nods. I bow slightly and run out of the gym. I feel very lucky I am good with a knife and pro with a bow and arrow. But Rue is an ace at plants (better then me, even!), great with a slingshot, mediocre with a bow, and good at climbing. I, on the other hand, am pro with a bow, handy with a knife, also good at climbing, and good at healing and dealing with plants.

"Let the seventy-fourth annual Hunger Games begin!" someone yells over the speakers. The 60-second countdown begins. I glance at Rue, and she nods towards the Cornucopia, then the forest. I nod back. I need to get a bow. A knife if I'm lucky. And at the very least, a backpack. Suddenly I hear a yell of defiance. The boy from 1 is actually stepping off his plate, towards his District partner! I brace myself for the booms. Baaaaam! He explodes almost instantly. I wince. Thank goodness I'm okay. Marvel, that boy, he always seemed mad... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The Hunger Games have begun. I run towards a medium-sized black backpack and grab it by the straps. The girl from 5 slaps my hand, but I shove her away (hard to do, considering she is 14 and I am 12) and run towards Rue with my new pack. I see a bow-oh... I need that! Glimmer is there! I run, and barrel her over. She was caught by surprise and topples to the ground. She cuts my arm, grabs the bow, and vanishes into the battle.

"Aaaaaagh!" I attempt to stifle my scream of pain and Rue runs, pulling me, into the trees. She has a small orange backpack.

"Go! Go!" I say as we vanish into the foliage. Suddenly, we are eye-to-eye with a District 7 boy. We both step back. He is 15. He is strong. He has an axe. He will most definitely kill us. But instead, he smiles and lowers his weapons.

"Ah, the little birds from Districts Eleven and Twelve!" he laughs. I think his name is Jack.

"May we ally?" a glint of mischief is in his eyes.

"Um, well-" I begin. Suddenly his axe is upon us!

"RUE WATCH OUT HE'S GOING TO KILL US!" I shriek. Rue ducks and the axe swipes over her head. I dig frantically in my bag and find a knife. Thank goodness! But I'm holding my knife so shakily... We're going to die. For sure. I gather myself, remembering I got a 9 in training... And throw the knife.

He dodges it by an inch and flees. I pick the blade up, hand quaking. Rue hugs me.

"It's okay," she whispers. I'm shaking so hard. Then we run.  
Chapter 3

It's late afternoon when we hear the cannons. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

"I counted six," I say to Rue. She nods back.

"Let's find a tree to camp out in." I look around and see a sturdy willow.

"Look, that willow could conceal us easily," I point out.

"Okay!" Rue answers. We scale the tree and find two forks to nestle in. I zip open my backpack and find a bone-dry water bottle, a small bottle of iodine, a small bag of peanuts, a tightly-rolled up green sleeping bag, and a pack of dried beef. Don't forget my knife. Good thing I have so much! I beam. Rue has a small black sleeping bag, a water skin, a small loaf of bread, a slingshot, a pack of poison needles for the slingshot (thank goodness, she's a pro with those things), and a medical kit. My arm is screaming.

"Ow, ow, ow," I grit my teeth. Rue digs into the kit and pulls out some simple medicine and a bandage. She applies them to my cut and I settle into my sleeping bag, besides her. My best friend in the world. We watch the broadcast in the sky. The crazy boy from District 1. Both from 3 (so all of 2 survived). The boy from 5. And both from 10.

Rue's POV

I wake up to singing mockingjays and yawn. Then freeze. Prim is still asleep. But I hear footsteps!

"Hey! Someone's in that willow!" One of them, I think the pretty girl from District 1, yells. I have to stifle a gasp and shake Prim awake. She blinks her blue eyes open, wide and alert, and we scale the tree, into the topmost branches, with our supplies.

"Well, well, well, the 'birds' from Districts Eleven and Twelve. Too bad they'll be poached and roasted!" snarls the boy from District 4. Ermin. The Careers howl with laughter and brandish their axes, swords, and knives. Glimmer attempts to shoot an arrow at me and it wedges itself a foot above my head. I suck in my breath, pick up a slingshot, grab a pack of those poison needles, and send one flying directly between Glimmer's eyes. She screams as a painful welt rises up and pulls the silver sliver out.

"Kill her, Cato!" the District 2 girl screams. He starts climbing towards us. But falls. The Careers moan and I smile, and send another needle at Glimmer. This time, it catches her in the eye. She shrieks, blood dripping down her cheek. Prim suddenly grunts loudly, and I see a knife flash through the air- and hit Glimmer square in the chest. The District 4 tributes turn and flee, but District 2 isn't as chicken... Until they see the wolf mutants. They are huge, with sickly fangs, angry red eyes, and deep snarls... The wolves chase after them, and thankfully NOT us.

Prim's POV  
I watch Cato and Clove run with the wolves howling after them.

"Rue, I got to get Glimmer's bow and arrows!" I whisper, as her cannon fires. Jumping off the tree, being careful of my wounded arm, I carefully unstick the knife in her chest and yank the sheath of arrows out from under her back. Her fingers are stiffly wrapped around the bow, and it is difficult to get that, but I do. Another cannon booms. I jump.

"Rue! Are you okay?" I yell in terror.

"Yeah. Look, it was the District 4 girl. Coral, I think." My ally gestures towards a hovercraft lifting her wolf-mauled body from the ground.

"Let's go, the wolves might come back!" I say, discarding the knife in my pack and securing the bow and arrows into place.

It's late afternoon by the time we reach a pond. I'm moaning softly as my head throbs, and Rue and I collapse into the pool. Hands shaking, I fill my bottle with water and purify it with iodine. I sip small sips as Rue copies me with her water skin. Then I hear three cannons boom. I wince. Who was that? We'll know soon. I am right. An hour later, Rue and I are settling into a tree. First Glimmer shows up, then the girl from District 4, the girl from 5, and both from 6. How did they die? Maybe I'll know if we win. Huh.

Rue's POV

By next morning, we have caught 5 fish and take the risk of cooking them over a fire. I go over the remaining tributes in my head. Both of District 2, the District 4 boy, both from 7, 8, and 9, Thresh and I, and Prim and Rory. I just hope most will die without Prim and I killing them. Then it strikes me- Prim and I will have to split up. We decided the final 5. But... I don't want to split with her. She's such a good friend. Suddenly, the boy and girl from 7 run through the trees, screaming. They pass us, and I frown confusedly. Why? Oh.

Prim's POV

I see the bears. They are running towards us, so I grab my supplies and flee with Rue right on my tail. While running, I try to shoot one bear, but it zigzags and I miss. They pass us, paws pounding, and I see one crush the girl before she knows what happen. The cannon fires. The second bear bites down on the boy and again, the cannon booms. They trot happily into the trees, and I stand, gaping. Rue quickly takes my knife and throws it into on bear. It dies surprisingly fast, and I shoot the other dead. We collect our weapons and start off again. 9. 8. 2. One from 4. 11. 12. We are all alive. Eleven alive...


	2. Chapter 2: Rue's Missing

Prim's POV

I watch the nightly broadcast while Rue sleeps soundly at my side. The two District 7 people show in the sky. And no one else. I count on my fingers quietly.

"That's nine left," I whisper. One more kill and Katniss will be interviewed! But... what if that kill is _me?_ I swallow nervously and wake Rue.

"Your turn for watch," I whisper. She nods and hands me a bit of roasted fish. So I sit and nibble fish, sipping water. Finally, I doze off...

I wake up to the sharp sound of a cannon. I gasp and find that Rue is gone. A distinct trail of blood leads away... then stops. _There's no body, _I tell myself. _She must be alive. Hopefully that was District 4, 2, or 9. _Hands shaking, I see her pack is gone and relax a little. If she's injured badly, maybe her backpack will help her. I pack and follow the trail of blood. _Footprints._ Yes, they are definitely Rue's footprints. But they vanish when I find myself by a muddy stream bank.

"Ugh!" I moan.

"P-Prim?"


	3. Chapter 3: My Healing is Golden

Rue's POV

I remember the boy, District 4, Ermin, he slashed my leg open and managed to cut my upper body quite a bit before I sliced him with Prim's knife (creepily, she sleeps with it in her hand). He must have staggered away and died somewhere, I heard a cannon.

"P-Prim..." I moan. Prim looks up sharply and screams at the state of me.

"Oh my god! RUE! What happened!" she sobs.

"D-istrict F-four cut m-e."

Prim's POV

I hear two cannons. Boom, boom. And a very distant howl. Those dreaded wolf mutts again? I'm making herb pulp for poor Rue. 3 died today… I spread the herbs on a long cut on her forearm. She cries out.

"Shhh…" I whisper. The anthem plays and I glance up. The people who died were the District 9 boy, Ermin… and… Cato, District 2. I stifle my surprised gasp and pour a little water over Rue. That means me, Rue, Thresh, the District 9 girl (Mazie, I think), and Clove are left.

"Okay, Rue, you'll have to walk," I say quietly. She nods painfully and stands up on her good leg, wincing. I help her downstream until we find a tumble of rocks made into a cave. I let her sit and run back to get the backpacks.

[Page Break]

I yawn and wake up. Rue is bleeding again. I decide to look at her leg and stifle a horrified gasp when I do. The wound is about a foot long on red shiny flesh tight and covered in dried blood. I decide to treat it with my remaining herb pulps and some simple medicine I found in her first aid kit.

"Everything's going to be all right, Rue," I murmur as I work.


	4. Chapter 4: The Mutts

Prim's POV

"Haymitch, I could use some medicine right now!" I yell into the rain, standing about ten yards upstream from Rue's den. Tears stream down my grimy face, cleaning it with the help of the rain. Then I hear it. The announcement.

"Hello, remaining tributes of the Hunger Games! At the Cornucopia, you each will receive a wolf mutt that may obey you! Tomorrow! Careful, some of these mutts _will_ kill you if you're unlucky! Ha, ha, ha!" Cladius Templesmith laughs over the loudspeaker. I suck in my breath. And then I see the silver parachute. It lands by my feet, and I scoop it up and run back to Rue.

"Let's see what Haymitch brought us!" I whisper to her. My stomach growls loudly and I wince. I have barely eaten since Rue was injured, so I zip open my pack and force some crackers and bread into my ally before opening the sponsor gift.

"Euh! Prim! I'm not hungry!" Rue wails.

"EAT, Rue!" I respond. She replies with a groan from the depths of her sleeping bag and nibbles away until the bread is gone and half of the crackers, too. I untie the silver parachute and gasp. It is a feast. A basket of rolls and apples, a container of goat cheese, and delicious rabbit stew. I squeal happily.

"Oh, look, Rue!"

Rue's POV

I watch Prim squeal and excitedly close the box of food to tuck away for later. I am hoping oh so desperately she will not go to the mutts. What if her wolf kills her? Or another tribute does? Maybe my wolf will be there... If nobody claims it, what will happen? Will it turn rogue? Maybe, if Prim is foolish enough to go, it will come with her. Or kill her. I shudder, then cry out in pain.

"Rue! Are you okay?" Prim yelps.

"Yes... Can you give me some herbs?" I mutter in hurt. She runs outside, and, within 5 minutes, returns with a handful of healing leaves. Prim mashes them up, as usual, and presses most of them on my horrible leg wound, reapplying the bandages, and renewing the ones on my arms. I sigh. I know my leg is bad, but hopefully not life-threatening. It really hurts.

"Prim. Are you going to the wolf-mutt place?" I whisper.

"Um. Yes, Rue..." she replies.

"You should not!"

"Why?"

"Clove, Mazie, and Thresh will kill you!"

"They won't! I'm bringing my bow. No one can come close enough to if I do."

The cameras must be on us now. The two friends angrily debating in a life-threatening argument.

"Fine! But if you die... And I win... I will never recover." My words are solemn, but true. Very true.


	5. Chapter 5: Author's Note

**Hi! Sooo, sorry, I only have 4 chapters, but I'm going to at least try to update every other day. And, thank you Lya200 for being my first reviewer! I hope whoEVER is reading this enjoys it tons! And yes, Lya200, Rue lives, if you have not read that part. Oops, sorry, spoiler. Again, thank you!**

**-IAmRue**


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